Chapter VIII – The Dates

Dr. Abigail Griffin and Clarke arrived at the morgue before the van did. Abby took this time to change into her scrubs while she asked Clarke to prep the tools she'll be using during the autopsy. Clarke was busy aligning the tools on the tray but her mind was in a different place. She knows she shouldn't but she couldn't help the flicker of hope in her chest that Lexa would come down and watch the autopsy. Clarke shuddered at the simple thought of being in the same room as Lexa. She knows she shouldn't be feeling this way. She shouldn't be thrilled to see Lexa again.

Betrayal. Anger. Hurt.

That is what she should be feeling. At least that is what she keeps telling herself. But every time she sees Lexa, all she wants is to pull her close, to feel her warmth. Clarke chuckled to herself when she started thinking what if …

What if Lexa stays after they close the case?

What if Lexa being back means they can fix their broken friendship?

What if Lexa being back means that they'll have the closure they need to truly move on?

What if …

Clarke was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the doors swing open and saw Raven enter. She quickly realized she wasn't alone when a second later, Lexa walked in after Raven. The blonde felt herself slightly tense up at the sight of Lexa.

"Is the body here yet?"

"Where's Doctor Griffin?"

Both Lexa and Raven asked at the same time. Clarke looked at them and just when she was about to answer their questions, they heard the sound of a van backing up in the garage next to the morgue. As if on cue, Abby Griffin came out of the locker room and walked straight to the double doors that separated the morgue to the garage. Minutes later, the doctor came back and was accompanied my two men pushing the gurney.

"Over here is fine."

Abby gestured towards the metal table and the men made work of placing the black body bag on top of the table. She handed the clipboard she was holding to one of the men after affixing her signature and turned to the three people standing at the opposite side of the table.

"Ready?" she asked them.

They all nodded but at the corner of Clarke's eyes she could see Lexa visibly swallow. She took a quick glance at her mother and Raven who are talking about something over the victim's body before stepping closer to Lexa.

"You sure, you want to do this?" she placed her hand on top of Lexa's arm in the hopes of comforting the agent. Lexa slowly turned her head down to look at the blonde's hand and then up to look at Clarke. Lexa nodded. "If we want to catch this bastard, I have to be here from beginning to the end and make sure we don't miss anything."

Clarke slowly pulled her hand away just as Raven looked at their direction and waved them to move closer. She was leaning in to look closer at what Abby was pointing at.

"Lexa, you may want to see this." Raven said.

Clarke and Lexa moved in closer and Abby grabbed a pair of tweezers and slowly picked something up The medical examiner raised it so everyone could see. Raven squinted her eyes as she looked at what Abby was showing them and she felt her heart beat faster when she recognized what she was looking at.

"What is it?" Lexa asked as she stepped closer to the autopsy table. She felt Clarke step up beside her.

"Hair." Raven said.

Abby held it up against the light over the table and Lexa saw a strand of dark brown hair.

"Thomas Paxton is blonde." Lexa stated.

She didn't want to get her hopes up. There could be a handful of reasons why that strand of hair was on the victim's body. Dozens of people were on that crime scene and it could've been one of them or it could've been blown by the wind and landed on the victim. For all they know, the hair could've been inside the bag.

"I'll have it check for DNA," Abby said as she placed the strand of hair in a small plastic bag "We have DNA of everyone working at the M.E.'s office and NYPD to rule out cross contamination on evidence. If this belongs to any of them, we'll know." Abby stepped back and took her gloves off. "Clarke, can you do the Y-incision on the body? I'll just drop this off at the lab."

"Sure." Clark said as she already pulled her blonde hair in a bun and slipped her hands in a new pair of gloves.

"What if the hair doesn't match any of the DNA in the M.E.'s office and NYPD?" Raven asked.

The three of them looked at each other. Lexa hated it but she can't help the spark of hope that flickered inside of her. "Then it could be from our copycat killer and we're a step closer to finding him."

Just then, Raven's phone vibrated and she checked it. "It's Octavia. She and Lincoln found something they wanted me to see." She then turned to Lexa, "Is it okay if you stay down here until the autopsy is finished? One of us probably should stay in case they find anything else on the body."

Lexa nodded, "Yeah. Go on. I'll call you if we find anything else."

Raven kissed Clarke's cheek and said a quick goodbye and she was out the door. And just like that, there were just the two of them. Plus the victim's body.

Clarke circled around the table so she was now standing at the other side of the table, across from Lexa. "Can you roll the body towards you so I can remove the bag?" Clarke can do it by herself, really. It's not that hard. But she could feel the tension that also seems to make itself known whenever she was alone with Lexa, and so she thought having a decent conversation would help.

"Yeah. Sure."

Lexa grabbed a pair of gloves and rolled the body towards her as Clarke gently pulled the bag underneath the body and placed it on the table behind her. The young doctor then ran her fingers over the body, looking for fractures. Her fingers lingered a little bit longer on the marks and bruises that covered the boy's body. Clarke then took one of the syringes and jabbed the end into the victim's neck. She repeated the proceeded twice until she had three vials of blood. "I'll send this to the lab and have it analyzed."

"You think he used chloroform to knock them out?" Lexa asked without taking her eyes off the body.

"It's possible. We'll know more once the blood samples are tested."

Lexa nodded and for a moment silence engulfed them once again. Clarke grabbed the scalpel and started making the incision with precision. Lexa remained silent as she watched Clarke's hand work gracefully.

"Do you ever think about it?" Clarke suddenly asked. Lexa snapped her eyes up and looked at Clarke but the blonde's attention was focused on the body she was currently slicing open.

"About what?"

"About the day you caught Cage. About the day you all thought this was all over."

Lexa stared at Clarke for a few moments before releasing a sigh. "Yeah." Lexa answered. "I do."

"Have you thought about why the copycat is doing this?"

If they're going to be stuck her by themselves, better to start up a conversation rather than drown themselves in deafening silence.

"I mean," Clarke continued "When you were working the original case, you knew why the Apostle Killer was killing off those poor kids. So the question now is; why is the copycat doing this?"

Clarke briefly looked up and saw Lexa looking at her in a way that made her heart flutter. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, seeing Lexa look at her like that, it felt like things could go back to how they were. Seeing Lexa smile back at her made her remember the past and all those moments when they were both blind on what's right in front of them.

"Maybe he wants attention" Lexa shrugged, "Sooner or later copycats create their own M.O. and their signature for their every kill, but before that, they have to start somewhere. So they copy a serial killer. Think of it as a … practice round. A warm up."

Lexa looked down at the number "9" that was carved on the boy's stomach. "But this copycat, whoever he is, isn't trying to be different. If he is, his M.O. would've change."

"So … what? Is he an apprentice of Cage Wallace or something?"

Lexa's expression turned grimed, "Possibly, he's trying to be exactly like him."

"You should like shrink." Clarke chuckled and focused back on doing the autopsy.

Lexa lightly laughed. She missed this; talking to Clarke, feeling like nothing's ever changed.

"I called a friend of mine in DC to help us out with the case. She'll probably be here first thing tomorrow morning."

"A friend, huh?" Clarke asked, the smirk evident in her voice. "I didn't know you have those."

A smile appeared on Lexa's lips as she thought about Costia, "Yeah. She's a profiler. Aside from Anya and my team, she is one of the few people I consider as a friend in DC."

And just like that, the smile on Clarke's face was wiped clean. She didn't know why, but hearing Lexa talk about her life in DC, a completely different life, made her remember that the person standing in front of her is not her best friend, it's not the same Lexa she used to know. Clarke knows she might be being selfish or even unreasonable but being in the same room as Lexa while her mind was suddenly plague with the memories of when Lexa left her was just …

Clarke closed her eyes and counted up to five and tried to control her breathing. Once that was done, she placed the scalpel back on the tray and looked up at the brunette.

"I can't do this."

Lexa's face scrunched up with confusion, "The autopsy?"

"This. Us. Working together." Clarke began, "Last night, the reason I went to your hotel room was that I thought if we talked it would clear this air between us. Also when I approached you at the crime scene. I really thought I was okay with this. But I … You just …I understand you have to be here for the case. You're the only one who can solve it. But you and I …" Clarke looked away, she couldn't look at Lexa, "You and I, we need to talk. Really talk.

"Oh." Lexa visibly deflated. She had hoped they were starting to repair their broken friendship. But she guess things don't always go the way we thought they would. "I can do that. Do you want to talk now or—"

"Later." Clarke cut her off. "I have to help mom with the autopsy and in the lab and …" Clarke took a deep breath and looked straight at Lexa's eyes. "We can talk tonight."

Lexa nodded. "Do you want to just come by my hotel room?" Quickly realizing how that sounded, she hastily added "or we can meet up at the hotel restaurant."

Clarke picked the scalpel again and did the last cut. "I'll be there at six." She said without looking up.

Lexa walked out of the morgue and once the doors had closed, she felt herself well up with despair. She didn't blame Clarke. There's nothing to blame. She was the one who walked away two years ago. As much as it pains her to admit it, Clarke's life had changed and honestly, she didn't blame Clarke from trying to move on in some kind of way. They both had; one way or another. Both of them found solace in another and tried to move on. Some people just drift apart. It happens.


Lexa stepped out of the elevator and through the doors of the homicide bullpen. She looked around and saw Raven, Octavia, and Lincoln all gathered around the white board place at the middle of the incident room. From where she was standing, Lexa could tell from their faces that whatever they found out, it was something big. She quickly approached them.

"What is it?" Lexa asked and Lincoln turned to look at her.

"Octavia found something interesting in the dates the copycat's victims died compared to Cage Wallace's victims." Lincoln answered. "Well, at least with the first victims of the copy cat and Cage."

Octavia pointed to the date written below the picture of Peter Callum; Cage Wallace's first victim. "Cage Wallace's killed his first victim four years ago, June 7, 2011" she then pointed to the date of the copycat's first victim, Andrew Bennigan."

"They match." Lexa said softly. "It's the same date. Only they're four years apart."

Octavia nodded. "You think the copycat s celebrating the copycat's anniversary?"

"For someone who is obsessed with a person, anniversaries are often considered as triggers for them. Not only for some who is obsessed with a psychopathic serial killer, but also for normal people. Like stalkers." Lincoln explained.

"But wouldn't it make more sense if the copycat celebrated the day Cage was born or the day he got caught if he was so obsessed with him?"

"For us, yes. This copycat is somehow fascinated by the Killer. Not Cage Wallace. He's celebrating the day the killer was born."

"Okay. But what about the other dates?" Raven asked. "What connection does it have with the Apostle Killer?"

Lexa moved closer to the board and examined the pictures and date closely. "Thomas Paxton's time of death was sometime yesterday afternoon, June 21. Matthew O'Conner's body was discovered two days after he was killed, making that four days ago. And a week before that, they found John Summer's body."

Lexa's eyes focused on the dates the victims died and not the day they were found. When everything clicked, a sickening feeling welled up inside her and she felt like it's going to swallow her in a matter of seconds. She feel the bile rise up her throat, she barely managed to stop herself from throwing up right there and her face has been drained of color.

"Lexa?" Lincoln lightly touched her arm. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"The dates," Lexa nodded at the white board. "They do mean something. But not to the copycat."

They all burrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"Then to who?" Octavia asked.

Lexa swallowed thickly, "To me."

"What?" They said at the same time, their confusions growing even more.

"June 7," Lexa pointed at Peter's photo, "is the date Cage killed Peter Callum. Three days later, they found the body and I was assigned to the case." She then pointed to John Summer's photo, "June tenth. Same date John Summer's was killed."

"Holy shit. That's also your birthday." Octavia exclaimed.

Lexa pointed at the date written under the photo, her back turned towards the other three people in the room with her. Lexa has never felt this sick and nauseous in her entire life. "Matthew O'Conner was killed on the 17th of June."

"But that's …" She heard Raven say behind her.

Lexa nodded, "Clarke's birthday."

Lexa slowly turned around and looked at Octavia and Raven. She could see the concern written all over their faces. Her eyes moved to Lincoln and she could also see concern and fear on his eyes.

"Whatever he is doing, it's not about Cage Wallace or the Apostle Killer." Lexa pushed her hands inside her pockets and tried to be casual and to pretend that she's not as shaken as she really is. She took a deep breath before speaking again, "It's about me. And whoever this copycat killer is, they spent time studying me and to know me. They know these date means something to me."

"What about Thomas Paxton?" Lincoln asked. "What's the meaning behind his date of death?"

"It was the day you three got here in New York?" Raven offered.

"Yes." Lexa can feel her heart beat so fast, she's afraid it's going to break free from her ribcage. "And I don't think it was a coincidence, but it was also the day I left New York two years ago."